By Deborah L. Vence

More communities will have a chance to receive a grant to build a new dog park or enhance their existing local dog park.

PetSafe, a manufacturer of innovative pet behavioral, containment and lifestyle product solutions, has increased the number of $25,000 grants for the construction of new parks from five to eight. In addition to the grants for new dog park construction, five communities will receive $5,000 grants to enhance their local dog parks. Applications for a PetSafe Bark for Your Park grant can be submitted through June 30, 2018.

"Since we launched the Bark for Your Park grant program in 2011, we've given away over $1 million to build, maintain and enhance dog parks in over 70 communities across the country," said Justin Young, marketing specialist at PetSafe brand. "Creating safe, off-leash areas for pets and their owners is important to us. Whether we can assist with the funding for a new dog park or simply help a community install a new fence or watering system, this program is a passion for everyone who works at PetSafe."

In 2017, PetSafe received more than 200 Bark for Your Park grant applications, and provided 25 communities with grants to build, maintain and enhance local dog parks. Communities interested in submitting a grant application for the 2018 program should visit www.petsafe.com/barkforyourpark.

To apply, each community will need the following items:

A letter from a civic leader showing support for the dog park project.

Photos of the future dog park space or current off-leash dog park.

Blueprints of the community's ideal dog park.

A summary of how the community would benefit from building, maintaining or enhancing the dog park.

A brief of the ways the community has shown support for an off-leash dog park.

Applications will be reviewed by an internal committee, and the communities that are chosen will be announced in August 2018.

PetSafe developed and launched the nationwide Bark for Your Park campaign in 2011, with the goal of providing dog parks that community members, civic leaders and pet owners would love, use and support for years to come. To date, PetSafe has donated more than $1 million, helping to fund 70 off-leash parks across the country.